This Year's Love
by littlemissfalloutboy
Summary: A songfic using the lyrics of David Gray's This Year's Love


**This Year****'****s Love**

**Author:** Mihika (littlemissfalloutboy/laffertyluvsme)

**Rating:** Teen

**Word Count:**

**Pairing:** Nathan/Haley

**Spoilers/Warnings: **This is kindasortamaybe AU, so no real spoilers except for the fact that Nathan and Haley dated in Season One (Doh!)

**Disclaimer:**I don't own the words to _This Year's Love_ or the song itself (though I do sing it pretty damn well!) and I definitely don't anything in the pretty little make believe land of Tree Hill.

**Author's Note:**This is a one-shot (meaning no more after this people) done to the words of David Gray's _This Year's Love_.

**Author's Note**** 2: **I recommend listening to this song while reading this.

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_This years love had better last  
Heaven knows it's high time  
And I've been waiting on my own too long  
But when you hold me like you do  
It feels so right  
I start to forget  
How my heart gets torn  
When that hurt gets thrown  
Feeling like you can't go on_

The river was silent that night. He watched as the cafés closed up for the night, chairs being turned upside down and tables wiped clean. The last one's light flickered off. Now, he looked at her and watched as the moon's light glowed a pale golden on her face. His eyes followed the path of light down her face and her shoulder, lighting up their tightly clasped hands. She, in turn, looked at him, her nose twitching slightly, as it often did when she was nervous. She wasn't nervous to be with him, though. In fact she was never more comfortable then when she was with him. No, tonight, she wasn't nervous for herself. She was nervous for him. Nervous and scared and worried. She opened her mouth to say something, anything. No words came. So she did the one thing that could speak louder than her words. She threw her arms around his neck and held his body so close to her that they were almost one person. And she didn't let go.

He stayed in her arms for a long time. In that time, he thought of many things. He thought of his mother who didn't seem to love him enough to ask him more than how school was going. He thought of the time she had left him and his father to be with that other man and hadn't even said goodbye before she left. He thought of his father who ripped him to shreds every time he missed one free throw or didn't make a jump shot. His father, who didn't give two shits about Nathan but only about Nathan, shooting guard of the Ravens. He thought about the drugs he had taken, to prove that he was better than his father. A better basketball player, and a better person. Then he thought of Haley. His Haley, the last person he had seen before collapsing that night. She was the reason for him being a better person. Her grasp around him seemed to tighten now and she sighed. He buried himself deeper in her embrace, revelling in the way his head fit in the crook of her neck and that just behind her ear he could smell a hint of vanilla and oranges.

_Turning circles when time again  
It cuts like a knife oh yeah  
If you love me got to know for sure  
Cos it takes something more this time  
Than sweet sweet lies  
Before I open up my arms and fall  
Losing all control_

He needed to ask her something, though. He knew it would be strange to ask something like this but he just needed to know. Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled himself out of her hold. Again, he looked at her. Just above the rims of her eyes, he saw tears that desperately wanted to spill out and he knew she was doing all she could to hold them back. A tear escaped then and she quickly wiped it away, giving him a watery smile. He didn't smile back, instead opening his mouth to ask in a voice just above a whisper, "Do you love me?"

_Every dream inside my soul_

She smiled again. But this time it was different. Her lips curled up gently, before finally breaking out into a grin that Nathan felt could heal him anytime, anyplace. The smile didn't waver as she stepped close to him, their lips brushing lightly and their breaths the only sound in the night air. "Of course I love you."

_And when you kiss me  
On that midnight street  
Sweep me off my feet  
Singing ain't this life so sweet_

And then, right there, as the breeze blew gently over their faces, Haley pulled Nathan's face towards hers and put her lips over his. His arms brushed against the cool linen of her t-shirt, encircling her waist. He sucked gently on her upper one and he tasted the delicate taste of raspberries. She ran her right hand through his hair, while her other one rested on his cheek.

_This year's love had better last  
This year's love had better last_

Nathan felt a lone tear fall down his cheek, landing on her fingertip. But he was unabashed, unembarrassed that he was crying in front of her. It was a tear of joy. She loved him.

_So whose to worry  
If our hearts get torn  
When that hurt gets thrown  
Don't you know this life goes on  
And won't you kiss me  
On that midnight street  
Sweep me off my feet  
Singing ain't this life so sweet_

Pulling away from his lips, gently, she left a whisper of a kiss at the corner of his mouth. She put her warm hand into his once again, squeezing it affectionately, before they began walking.

And at that moment, she started singing. He hadn't ever heard the song before but it didn't matter. Because all he could feel was her voice seeming to touch and warm every part of his body. Then lifting her hand out of his, she twirled around, continuing to sing. Smiling as she sang, she danced down the street and all Nathan saw was the moonlight dancing across her body in a way that Nathan hadn't ever noticed before.

_This years love had better last  
This years love had better last  
This years love had better last  
This years love had better last_

The river was silent that night. All Nathan could hear was the sound of Haley's voice and it lit him up. Now, he didn't think of his mother or his father or basketball. He couldn't think of them. His love for Haley and her love for him seemed to have consumed every ounce of his body and soul, wiping out anything and everything else.


End file.
